Estimating Outdoor and Indoor Temperature Exposure for the BiSC Participants
Estimating Outdoor and Indoor Temperature Exposure for the BiSC Participants Extreme heat events pose a significant public health risk and are expected to become more frequent and severe as climate change accelerates. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, which can have harmful effects on both maternal health and fetal development. To better understand these risks in the BiSC, we estimated outdoor and indoor temperature exposure for our participants throughout pregnancy to assess their impact on health outcomes in the future. To estimate outdoor temperature, we used a Random Forest model that integrates data from multiple sources, including [...]
BiSC at the ISEE annual conference in Santiago, Chile
BiSC at the ISEE annual conference in Santiago, Chile This August, the 36th annual conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) was held in Chile, with the main theme being “Addressing challenges in environmental health, justice and development.” Among all the speakers, three researchers presented results related to the BiSC project. On August 28, one of the project's main researchers, Jordi Sunyer, spoke. During his presentation, [...]
New Funding for Research on the Placenta and Neurodevelopment in the BiSC Project: Project PERGOLA
New Funding for Research on the Placenta and Neurodevelopment in the BiSC Project: Project PERGOLA We are pleased to announce that we have secured new funding that will allow us to further research into the role of the placenta in brain development and the early detection of neurodevelopmental complications. Traditionally, the placenta has been an understudied organ in the context of mental health and neurodevelopment. However, recent evidence suggests [...]
NEW ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR STUDY COMPLETED: THANKS TO 171 PARTICIPANTS!
NEW ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR STUDY COMPLETED: THANKS TO 171 PARTICIPANTS! During these last months, we have been contacting you with the aim to propose you a new optional follow-up visit of the project, the objective of which is to assess the impact of endocrine disruptors on the health of your children. We are pleased to announce that this follow-up has been completed thanks to your cooperation. Endocrine disruptors are chemical [...]
ISEE Young 2024 Best abstract award!
ISEE Young 2024 Best abstract award! Yu Zhao, a predoctoral researcher and member of the BiSC team, attended the ISEE Young Conference 2024 and took the chance to present some results that are part of the FRONTIER study. She won the best abstract award in her category. Congratulations, Yu! The ISEE-Young Conference is one of the most important international societies in our field of research. The abstract that [...]
PFAS and indicators of aging and cellular stress: a new study for public health
PFAS and indicators of aging and cellular stress: a new study for public health At the beginning of April, a new Erasmus student from Italy, Dr. Elisea Tomaino, joined our team to develop their TFM. A new study has therefore been initiated within the BiSC project, under the supervision of Professor Martine Vrijheid, Dr Bethany Knox and Professor of Hygiene and Epidemiology Antonella Paola Agodi and her University [...]
BiSC presents placenta genomics results at the European Congress of Human Genetics
BiSC presents placenta genomics results at the European Congress of Human Genetics This week there was the European Congress of the Human Genetics Society in Berlin where the most relevant advances of the year were presented, both in the diagnosis of minority diseases (diseases caused by one or a few mutations) and in the identification of genetic risk variants for common diseases (diseases caused by multiple genetic variants and environmental [...]
Do you know how our hearts work?
Do you know how our hearts work? The structure of our heart can be compared to two "one-bedroom apartments" side by side, with four one-way "doors" connecting two "courtyards": the pulmonary circulation and the systemic circulation. Blood from the body first enters the right atrium, moves through a "door"—the tricuspid valve—into the right ventricle, and then, propelled by the heart's strong contractions, passes through the pulmonary valve into [...]
How heat exposure can influence fetal development during pregnancy?
How heat exposure can influence fetal development during pregnancy? Summer is coming! And high temperatures and heat waves followed. The frequency and intensity of heatwaves are increasing rapidly and may be set to escalate in the coming decades. Are you aware of the fetal health risks of heat exposure during pregnancy? Pregnancy induces several physiological and anatomical changes in women such as changes in surface area-to-mass ratio, weight [...]